No, a toenail does not have that capability on its own via natural means to become self-aware. Egg cells and sperm cells by themselves lack some of the chromosomes needed to create new life.

Your argument seems to stem from the concept of "potential life". All of these things (and more) are "potential life". If you would like to argue from a position of actual living things, that's fine (actually it's my preference), however blastocysts are not included. The good news is that this means we can both move on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GarfieldJL

Once you have cell division, that it, left on it's own you can end up having a baby with a fully functioning nervous system.

"Can" is what I've been discussing for the last several posts. You seem to want to have it both ways.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GarfieldJL

If they were making stem cells out of unfertalized eggs or straight sperm cells, there wouldn't be that big of an issue, but once we see the egg be fertalized that's it we're talking about a life that is seperate from the mother's.

My point is that it seems the Catholics have it right. You shouldn't allow abortions, fertility clinics, etc. because there wouldn't be this moral calamity.

There isn't any "moral calamity" now. There's a religious values calamity, but I have yet to be presented with a genuine moral argument re: any of these topics. As always, you're welcome to enlighten me, however I suspect that we will continue to see the arguments from dogma that I predicted several posts ago.